iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Hi #FreelanceFriends! Quick intro: I'm dava, a content marketer who is moving from writing mostly about healthcare tech to writing proposals for companies providing electrical infrastructure. It's a slow transition, so far.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

As part of my plan to save money on food, I decided to stop buying cookies (roughly $1 each from the bakery section) and start making them. The plan is to freeze pre-portioned balls of dough and cookie 3-4 at a time. Tonight’s batch proved it’s a good plan.🍪🧑‍🍳

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Thanks for another great chat #FreelanceFriends! See y'all next week.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

So, #FreelanceFriends, should we work on a plan to promote this chat in the midst of its transition? I would be happy to post in the ASJA discussion forum. I think they have a co-working group at this time, but it might be helpful to let folks know about this chat.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Hi, #FreelanceFriends! I'm dava, a content marketing writer who is learning about project management, proposals and the architecture/engineering/construction industry, specifically electrical stuff. I'd like to become a proposal specialist. It's challenging to make a change.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I’ve been making stationery with pressed flowers. It’s really fun, plus a low stakes way to learn a little bit about working with images. Plus, I have nice paper for letter writing.

A piece of paper with a pressed cinnamon basil bloom on one side and a small Johnny jump up bloom on the other

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I'm taking a Udemy course and not doing as well as I thought I would. It's been a long time since I did any sort of structured learning like a class and I can't tell if my brain has broken or if the instruction isn't great or what. :(

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

During the pandemic, I was silly enough to hope that we (the US) got a federal sick leave policy out of a terrible situation. Now, I'm nursing the hope that this current oil fiasco might help usher in the age of electrification. I don't know what this says about me. Probably that I'm naive.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

My partner and I do Wordle and connections every evening (small pleasures are important!) and tonight we ended a 53 day streak 😭

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

It started pouring rain just as I was leaving the thrift store and it was glorious. I got thoroughly soaked and had to come home and change into soft clothes. We needed the rain so bad, and now I’m on the sofa, bad move on TV, feeling at ease.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I had an unusually busy week with work stuff, and didn’t have time for much outside of an hour of knitting here and 20 minutes of reading there. It felt kind of good to not really know what was going on in the world.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

I cleaned out on cabinet shelf during lunch. There was more stuff past the use by date than stuff that was still good. I need to make a list of what’s there and use it up.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

We watched National Treasure: Book of Secrets. It’s not good.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Open mic #FreelanceFriends chats are always fun. I have to run, but it's been a pleasure talking with everyone. @phendrickson.bsky.social I hope you get your money soon!

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Uggghhh. It’s 9 pm. I still need to do the dishes, put away laundry, and take a shower. It’s fine. Better to be busy than bored and overthinking.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

I finally had enough flowers pressed to play with composition a little. And I made a few bookmarks for gifts. 🌸🥀🖼️

White bookmarks with pressed flowers on them

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

I started my day by making a cup of coffee without a cup, while cleaning up my cat's "gift" of a chipmunk. It's my partner's birthday, so I sure hope things take a turn for the better.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

We stumbled across the show Kim's Convenience over the weekend and really enjoyed the dry humor.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

My brain weasels are being subtle jerks, whispering ugly things so quietly I almost didn’t realize it was happening. Hush, weasels.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

I’m learning a new thing. Gathered the flowers, pressed them, glued them to the card. They are going to be on the inside, I need to think of something to write on the outside.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Just the tail end of the golden hour. Cool enough for a short, pleasant walk.

A green field lined by trees. The sky is streaked with sunset colors, the light is soft.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

35 minutes for the first one. Getting some water and resetting the timer and knocking out the second one. I'm less than an hour away from relaxation and reading.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Ever have one of those days where you just really aren't sure what you did with all those hours? That's what happened to me today, and as a result, I have 2 short, easy articles to write before I can get a glass of wine and read The Loneliness of Sonia & Sunny. I'm setting a timer.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

You know what I miss? The want ads in the newspaper. It was so simple. Companies posted ads, for a small fee. People saw them and responded! #GetOffMyLawn

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

I’m practicing lettering so I can make labels for pressed leaves. This new hobby is making me happier than I thought it would.

The words Hydrangea quercifolis written in green ink in something like calligraphy several times, along with the words oak leaf hydrangea and Liriodendron tulipifera, tulip poplar, American tulip tree, Fiddletree, Hickory poplar

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

I made 2 tomato pies, attempted (and failed) tomato powder, & made sauce (it’s too thin). I also cleaned the bathroom & read most of The Wedding People. It’s been an all right day.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Why is it so hard to build up a positive habit and so incredibly easy to lose it? Even things I love are hard to get back to if I go on vacation or get sick or something.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Traveling this evening. The moon looks neat. 🌗

The moon covered by clouds. A tree is at the bottom of the frame

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Today's chat has been a joy, and left me with lots to ponder. Thank you all for allowing me to host and share my weirdo photos :) I'm packing for a short trip to Boston and this is the only work-related task on my list today, and it was wonderful. #FreelanceFriends

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Bonus Q: What advice would you offer someone who is preparing to make some kind of big change to their freelance business? #FreelanceFriends

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Q4: How do you measure whether a change is successful or not, and what kinds of adjustments can you make if success is elusive? How long do you pursue your pivot before you determine success or failure? #FreelanceFriends

a round mantel clock sits between four pocket watches in display cloches on a wooden shelf.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Q3: What needs to be in place before you launch or announce your new services or direction? It's really easy to get stuck, making sure everything is "perfect." (it never really is) #FreelanceFriends

two photos side by side, the first is of a very strange looking caterpillar, that almost looks like a truncated snake. It’s on a door and you can see the door knob in the background. The second image is of a black butterfly with yellow dots from wing tip to wing tip, and more diagonally to the ends of its wings. You can’t tell from the photo, but the butterfly is about 5 or 6 inches across.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Q2: What kinds of things might trigger a freelancer to pivot from one service, industry, or type of business to another? If you’ve pivoted, why did you? #FreelanceFriends

two images side by side, the first is a peony bud and the second is the opened flower

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Let's get started! I don't have @angelatague.bsky.social Canva skills, so the photos are from my camera. Q1: Graduation is a big transition! But today we are talking about a different kind—pivoting your freelance business. Have you done it? How did it go? What steps did you take? #FreelanceFriends

graduates in purple robes sit in folding chairs, and some are standing in line approaching a small stage. They appear to be on a football field. A green mountain is in the background.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

I'm dava, a freelance content strategist, coming to you from southeast TN, where it's raining. I am just on the edge of the big rain that has caused flooding just to the north. #FreelanceFriends

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Welcome #FreelanceFriends! As we get started, please take a moment to introduce yourself, share photos (we love pets and gardens and nice views), tell us a little about you.

static.klipy.com

Tank: This Is My Introduction

Alt: Tank: This Is My Introduction

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Join us today at noon eastern time for #FreelanceFriends. We will be chatting about pivoting your business. It's always a good time!

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

I saw a monarch today but it refused to pose for a photo. 🦋

A monarch butterfly with its wings closed on a fading clover bloom in the grass

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Marsha Blackburn commercials are just horrible. It’s so depressing that people vote for her.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

I love finding tiny, strange looking fungi.

Tiny, bright yellow fungus growing out of a cedar log.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

I’m really glad I took the afternoon off.

A public fountain with animal sculptures and water spraying up from the groin at various levels

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

A recent harvest. The garden has been bountiful this year. I need to get some more beet seeds in the ground. 🫜🌱🥗

A bunch of beets, an onion with roots and dirty, a small pile of yellow squash, a slightly bigger pile of green beans, two tomatoes, and one stubby cucumber, are on a black metal table, along with a newspaper and a terra cotta pot

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

I just finished reading Calling Invisible Women by Jeanne Ray and it is so good. I’d been working on a short story about becoming invisible, but this book is 1000x better than my idea. #books #reading

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

This is my nicest sunflower this year.

A sunflowers with one flower facing the camera and one facing away. The flower is more rust-colored on the front and yellow on the back

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Had the first of the Asian long beans with dinner tonight. These are some of the prettiest beans I’ve ever grown, and I’m looking forward to trying some different recipes.

Five very long, skinny, purple beans, with a banana on one side, and regular green beans and parsley on the other. All on a wooden table.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

It's an afternoon coffee kind of day, since a nap would be even more inadvisable.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Blueberries! Perfectly ripe and incredibly sweet.

A white person’s hand pulling down a cluster of fat blueberries. There are so many they almost look like grapes.

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

I like this bean bloom. It looks like it should be part of a wallpaper pattern or something. The “wings” fell off and there are tiny beans there now. 🌱🌱🫘

A bean bloom. It has two cream colored parts that look like wings, with green and red bits on the inside near the stem. There are five small bumps in a cluster in the center

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Dava Stewart @davastewart.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

The meal I wait for all year: fried squash, green beans with a red potato, sliced cucumber and tomato. The potato came from a farmer friend, and I grew everything else. It was too hot to make cornbread. #yum

A green plate with tomato and cucumber slices, green beans with pieces of boiled potato, and breaded fried squash

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